"Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in." --Abraham Lincoln, March 9, 1832 First Political Announcement

Issues

In 2008, there will be several key issues addressed by the Mississippi legislature. Many of these are especially important to me and were part of my platform. This list includes, but is not limited to:

Mississippi Adequate Education Act of 2008
* Ensures fully funding of MAEP for FY 09
* Enhances training requirements for school board members
* Changes all superintendent posts to appointed positions
* Restores diverted funds, such as teacher supply funds and public school building funds
* Increases teacher pay
* Pilot pre-K programs
* Continued funding for high school redesign to support vocational training and better graduation rates
* Decreases bond passage requirements from 60% to 55%
* Additional funding for at-risk students

Aside from important statewide legislation, there are several items of importance to the Pine Belt and the city of Hattiesburg.

* Adding an additional circuit judgeship for the Forrest/Perry County district
* Promoting state support of the Adept School dropout recovery program
* Government transparency; making earmarks and bid awards accessible to the public on a searchable website
* Promoting state support of the DuBard School, Children’s Center for Communication and Development and the Karnes School of Gifted Studies
* Supporting the Southeast Mississippi Trauma Care Network
* Helping small businesses provide health insurance and with inducements for private investment